


Red Clouds on the Horizon

by KittyWillCutYou



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, FUCK, Gen, Gods have mercy on me, OC is a civillian, OC works at a cafe, The fuck?, When did I write this?, ha, here take some Itachi you heathens, i forgot i even wrote this, it was hidden amongst the ridiculous amount of crap I've written, itachi's rotting lungs, who's hands are these?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 03:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyWillCutYou/pseuds/KittyWillCutYou
Summary: There was a well practiced smile already set upon her full lips when she turned to greet her next potential customer, but at the sight of red clouds floating in a sea of endless black, her delicate smile became that much more real.





	Red Clouds on the Horizon

The sound of the bell above the door jingling musically was what broke her from her silent reverie, and the cloth she’d just finished using to wipe down the tables until they practically shined, dangled from her hands as she slowly straightened her back.

Here they go again.

There was a practiced smile already set her full lips when she turned to greet her next potential customer, but at the sight of red clouds floating in a sea of endless black, her delicate smile became that much more real. 

He was a repeat patron of course, but even after all this time she still knew very little about him personally. Not that she expected much else. Knowledge could be a dangerous thing and she'd rather stay in the dark if it meant she kept her life. No, she didn’t know anything about him, but she knew his face very well by now. She knew those blood red eyes, that long black hair and that stunningly fair face, half-hidden in the collar of his coat. 

It wasn’t hard to guess that he was of course a shinobi and that fact alone meant that he was dangerous, deadly, probably more so than she could ever truly comprehend without seeing it for herself. But he was always polite and very quiet. 

In all the time between when she’d first met him up til that very moment, he had never caused her any trouble.

In fact, he was more liable to keep the trouble to a minimum, especially during what she was almost completely sure was the only place he could pretend to be just like anyone else that came to her cafe.

That was what her place of work offered to all travelers both young and old, both civilian and shinobi alike. 

The cafe itself was quite small, but frequented by all types and the service was so good that none of the visitors would dare cause any trouble for anyone lest they call the wrath of the law down on the Inn for serving the people they do without complaint.

It would ruin everything.

So people keep their mouths shut and their heads down. That was why she knew he liked the place same as anyone else. Well, besides the fact that he just kept on coming back.

Among other things.

“Hello, Sir,” She said in a mild professional tone, “Can I get you your usual?”

He just looked at her.

The silence between them stretched on for a moment and then he nodded, just once before stepping fully into the foyer. Her heart pounded in her chest as she directed him to a table in his usual spot and she couldn’t help the way her eyes lingered briefly on the scratched hitai-ate adorning his forehead.

Konoha.

Missing-nin.

It was the same almost every time she saw him, but like the professional she was, she kept her questions to herself. He ordered green tea and sweets and she brought them, quickly and without any fuss. She spoke of simple mundane things and never once mentioned his bloody occupation or inquired about his past.

Apparently, he liked hearing her talk about everything and nothing at all and they were content in the easy twilight, free of the mist and coppery tang of blood.

There was a warning in the back of her head, blaring loud no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Stay away from men like him, it said, they’ll leave you bleeding in more ways than one. 

He put his tea down and like that she realized she had been staring the entire time. Mortified, heat rushed to her face and an apology was just on the edge of her tongue before he moved. 

She’d been standing just to his right and suddenly he was there before her, in her personal space.

He smelled a bit like the road this close, a bit like metal and green things and something else she just couldn’t quite place. It washed over her and she couldn’t help the way her eyes fell to half-mast in its wake.

Her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

One of his hands found its way to her wrist in a grip that was firm, but not harsh and his other hand swept through her long dark hair, winding its way into the strands. Something metallic fell and clattered to the floor, but she couldn’t bare to pay it any mind.

Not in that moment.

Not with the way her ears were ringing.

His face was still more or less impassive, but it seemed to have lost some of its sharper edges and he watched her, the flush upon her cheeks and the way she kept eye contact despite the intimidating hue of his irises.

It might be bravery or naivety or perhaps both. Neither of them could honestly say for sure, but she was absolutely positive that there were stories of ninja with red eyes that could ensnare with a look.

A warning on the tip of her tongue.

It did not escape her that with a look she courted death.

Slowly, the hand in her hair unwound and the tip of his index fingers traced the curve of her ear to her jawline. “In another life,” He said, his voice much deeper than most would expect for one with such elegant almost feminine features. 

His eyes seem to glow and she could see it in her mind, his reasons for returning so frequently, for always taking a moment to stop by and sit and listen. 

The hand in her hair tugging until she exposed the vulnerable curve of her neck. A moan and a sigh on the air while the pinks and oranges of the falling sun gleamed through the window along her skin.

Such precious things, such fleeting things, images of what could have been, but will never truly be.

“In another life.” The words echoed in her head again and she had to close her eyes and take a breath to keep from falling. He reached out to steady her with a hand on her hip. There was heat on her lips and when she opened her eyes again, the red in his gaze seemed to glow.

“In another life.” she repeated and he watched her for a long moment before nodding sharply once again. Like that, the spell was broken, and he stepped away from her once he was sure she could remain standing under her own power. 

He placed his pay on the table top and with one more piercing look in her direction, turned on his heel and left the cafe without a backwards glance.

Absently, she noticed that her hands were shaking and she raised her right to trail her index finger along the plush curve of her bottom lip.

The pad of her finger came away bloody.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't particularly care for Itachi, but this was a gift to a friend and it's not terrible. So here, it was sitting in my files collecting dust. Enjoy.


End file.
